[DME] Having luggage forwarded instead of rechecking
 

So I bought my ticket using kiwi.com (against the advice of some forums) because no other option would give me a ticket to where I wanted to go (Izhevsk)... well, I could have just purchase separate tickets myself, but that's a bit unnerving.

I'm wondering whether it's possible to ask at the first check-in desk, whether they could have it forwarded to my final destination, so I wouldn't have to pull it off the belt and re-check it. Is this possible?

Thanks!

What's the routing?

At a minimum, through checking on different airlines (I am guessing) requires interline agreement.

1. Depends on the itinerary. In some cases you have to personally carry your luggage through customer and checking through is not possibly or very limited (i.e. you get the tag for the second part of the trip but have to carry the bag through customs yourself). That wouldn't apply to a domestic routing. Re: International flights into Russia connecting to domestic flights, I haven't got a clue how this is handled.
2. Depends on the involved airlines. Some will do it the moment there is an interline agreement. Others will limit checking through to alliance members, only to their own flights, or to single bookings
3. Watch out of OTAs selling what appears to be a connection when in fact the booking consists of individual tickets.

Thanks. the airlines are Swiss Air and Izhavia. I'm transfering at DME (moscow) to go to Izhevsk.

It's looking like there's no hope for the forwarding, so I'll just have to master my transfer plan - the worry was just that waiting for luggage would cost me some time and increase the risk of missing my connecting flight.

Izhavia is a super small airline; their website implies they have connecting deals with other airlines but I can't find any specifics.

You don't say where your trip begins, but I'm guessing it's outside Russia. In that case, the normal* procedure is that you retrieve your luggage at your point of entry into the country, carry it through customs, and re-check it on the other side. This happens no matter how the luggage is tagged. The only advantage of having it checked through to your final destination is that you can usually hand it over to the airline that will take it on its next flight immediately after leaving customs rather than going to a check-in desk. That, depending on the airport, may possibly save you from having to go land-side and then re-enter through security.

I suggest you find out how international arrivals at your Russian gateway city (you didn't say what it is, so we can't help you) are handled. The Russia forum here is full of experts who know all about that. Then find out if you'll have to do anything at that airport that requires you to go landside regardless of your luggage, such as change terminals at an airport that doesn't have airside inter-terminal transfers. If you do, then being able to check your bags through is of little value.

If you decide that you really want to check your bags through to IJK, the previous posts are correct. It can't hurt to ask. The worst that can happen is that the agent will say "no."

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*While I have been to Russia three times, the last time was several years ago. Things may have changed. They may not operate this way today, but chances are they do.

By the looks of the map,
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...08fe1cc606.jpg


it seems I *won't* have to go landside (you mean leave the airport and re-enter, right?)

The maps makes it seem not to long of a route, so I guess it's just a matter of lineups. Passport control is the first wait, so maybe luggage isn't a big deal?

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